Folding beach chair



M. D. RECHLER FOLDING BEACH CHAIR May 24, 1955 Filed Feb. 10, 1953 2 Shets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Amara/v 0. #509151? ATTORNEY y 4, 1955 M. D. RECHLER FOLDING BEACH CHAIR Filed Feb. 10, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY United States Patent FOLDING BEACH CHAIR Morton D. Rechler, New York, N. Y., assignor to Rexart Metal Industries, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application February 10, 1953, Serial No. 336,083 2 Claims. (Cl. 155-139) This invention relates to chairs and particularly to the type having pivoted frame sections which operate to close the chair for carrying or open it for use.

One of the objects is to produce a chair of this kind having a one motion folding action which is operable to close the chair easily and quickly and wherein the frame sections provide rigid support when the chair is open in sitting position.

Another object is to provide a folding chair where weight is reduced to a minimum through the use of light tubular frames bent to form and pivoted together by simple fastening means easy to manufacture and assemble.

A further object is to eliminate the usual cross bar at the front of the seat frame and provide reenforcing means substantially below the plane of the frame so that there will be no rigid bar against the legs of the user.

Various other objects and advantages will appear as the description proceeds, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a chair constructed according to the invention,

Fig. 2 is a view with the covers removed and the chair folded;

Fig. 3 is a view of the seat frame showing the method of attaching a fabric seat material;

Fig. 4 is a cross section on the line 44 of Fig. 3;

Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are details of the pivotal fastenings of the frame elements, shown partly in section.

In the drawings the chair is indicated generally by numeral 10, and includes in its structure a seat frame 11, front leg frame 12, back frame 13, arm rests 14 and pivotal means connecting the parts together so that the chair may be folded for carrying or opened for use.

The seat frame 11 is formed by bending a length of tubular stock into a U-shaped frame having a downward bend at the points 15 to provide rear leg portions 16 and transverse portion 17 which rests upon the ground. The front ends 18 of frame 11 may be provided with finishing caps 19 to seal the tubular ends, and are also bored at 20 to receive pivot bolts 21 passed through alined holes 22 in portions 23 of legs 24 of frame 12. The front leg frame may be U-shaped and include a transverse foot portion 25. Back frame 13 is shown as consisting of a length of tubular stock bent to form side members 26 and top 27, the lower ends 28 being drilled at 29 for pivot bolts 30 mounted in brackets 31 secured to portions 16 of seat frame 11 by bolts 32.

The arm rests 14 are provided with downturned flanges as detailed in Figs. 6 and 8 and are pivoted at the rear to side members 26 by pivot bolts 33, and are similarly pivoted at the front to the upper ends of legs 24 by bolts 34 passed through openings 35.

Bolt 34 also provides pivotal mounting for the upper end 36 of a rod 37 which is adapted to slide in a guide cylinder 38 pivoted at its lower end 39 to seat frame 11 by bolt 32 which also passes through bracket 31. When the chair is in open position the lower end 40 of the rod bottoms in the base 41 of the cylinder 38 or against a limiting the swing of the front frame and the back frame about their pivots.

The chair is closed by moving the seat frame upward toward the back frame. During this motion the rod 37 slides outwardly in guide cylinder 38 and reaches the position in Fig. 2 where the parts are nested together in the closed chair.

The pivotal joints are preferably provided with spacers such as indicated at 42 and friction reducing washers 43 to give necessary clearances and easy folding and unfolding action.

The seat 44 preferably takes the form of a fabric suspended by and between the side rails 45 of the seat frame. In Fig. 4 this fabric is shown as consisting of a double thickness in the form of a sleeve 46 made of a length of material stitched together at 47 producing looped side margins 48 which receive metal reenforcing strips 49 held to the undersides 50 of side rails 45 by screws 51. Somewhat below the seat frame there is a reenforcing cross bar 52 bridged between the legs 24 of the front leg frame 12 and held in place by fasteners 53 or other suitable means. This bar insures proper spread of the seat fabric but does not come into contact with the legs of the occupant because the bar is substantially below the plane of the seat frame. The fabric seat is therefore comfortable in its ability to yield sufliciently without sagging. A sleeve type back or other appropriate cover 54 may be carried by the back frame 13 to complete the covering of the chair. s

I claim:

1. In a folding chair, a U-shaped seat frame formed from a single piece of stock bent downward at an incline adjacent the middle of the frame to provide rear leg portions and a transverse foot portion, said seat frame having terminal ends at the front of the chair, brackets on said rear leg portions, a one piece U-shaped back frame provided with side members and having lower ends which are pivoted to said brackets, a one piece U-shaped front frame having leg portions pivoted to the terminal front ends of the seat frame and having upper ends extending above said seat frame, arm rests provided with downturned flanges adjacent said side members of the back frame, bolts pivotally connecting said flanges to said side members, said arm rests having forward downturned flanges adjacent the upper ends of said front frame, a pair of slide rods having upper ends located beneath said arm rests and beside the upper ends of said front frame, bolts pivotally connecting together the forward flanges of said arm rests, the associated upper ends of said front frame and the upper ends of said slide rods, guide cylinders in which said slide rods are mounted, said guide cylinders having lower ends terminating adjacent said brackets, bolts pivotally connecting the lower ends of said guide cylinders to said brackets and securing said brackets to the downwardly bent rear leg portions of the seat frame, and a reenforcing bar bridged between the legs of said front frame substantially below the plane of the seat frame, said slide rods being of a length to bottom in said guide cylinders and thereby act as stops to limit the swing of the front frame and the back frame about their pivots.

2. A folding chair according to claim 1, wherein the guide cylinderrs each contains a slug in its lower end which acts as a stop and to prevent binding of the slide rod in the lower end of the guide cylinder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 127,891 Kapple June 11, 1872 (Other references on following page) 3 UNITED STATES PATENTS Howe Nov. 27, 1900 Rastetter Sept. 27, 1932 Wood Aug. 14, 1934 Picks Apr. 6, 1937 ONeill June 10, 1952 4 Harber May 19, 1953 Wong July 14, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Feb. 24, 1923 Great Britain Dec. 24, 1946 

